Google is opening up the sale of its Glass head-mounted computers to customers outside the US for the first time, and the UK is the first country to get them.

"Beginning today, we're extending our open beta Explorer program to the UK. The world sees the UK as a center (actually, a centre) of innovation," said the Chocolate Factory in a statement.

"It has produced some of the greatest technology inventors and inventions of the last century, and people on the ground are always excited to explore new products and ideas."

Unusually, UK buyers may not pay much of a premium for their technology over US prices. Google has set the price at £1,000 including value added tax (similar to sales tax in the US) for British buyers, which on Monday converts to a $1,701 in US prices. While US buyers are paying $1,500 base price, most have to pay a state and/or local sales tax on top of that.

Those with a grand's worth of spare change can order the headsets on the Glass website, or head on down to London for one of two demonstration days Google will hold on June 27 and 28, where the headsets can be tried out first-hand before purchasing.

If you are considering becoming a Glass Explorer, as Google likes to call customers, but aren't too keen on the design, there is a new range of Glass hardware from the noted designer Diane von Furstenberg’s DVF design studio.

An extra $300 will get Glass buyers a slightly more fashionable set of eyewear from DVF, and more designs are expected from Luxottica, the holding company for Ray-Ban, Oakley, Persol, and Burberry. Visitors to Google's I/O development conference in San Francisco this week may get a look at the latest designs. ®